# GlassTop Humidor Leak NEED HELP



## alfred (Mar 27, 2006)

Hello I have a glass top humidor similar to the one below, I can't keep the level above 60% as a matter of fact I am checking it daily to make sure it stays at that level. I think it has a leak so what I want to know is, has anyone repaired a leaky glass humidor? 
I am trying to find out what type of sealant to use and where it should be applied i.e. plumbing sealer along outside or inside


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## Rploaded (Nov 7, 2006)

Over 60% according to what?

You can use clear silicone sealer.

Please introduce yourself in the New Gorilla Forum.

Learn to use the search function and read all of the stickies. This will also answer your questions.

Welcome.


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## c-poc (Sep 1, 2006)

Your hygrometer is off.. I am sure of it. Are you using your stock analog hygrometer? Do a salt test (search button for more info) and see how much you are off. Then upgrade your humidification system to beads. Hope this helps...

Beads Thread: http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=9483
Salt Test Threads: http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/search.php?searchid=1090898


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## alfred (Mar 27, 2006)

I will introduce my self I overlooked that, thanks

I have used 2 digital and 2 analog hygrometers with all of them staying at 60% and I have tested them on one of my other humidors and that one is staying at 70% I have also tested the bars in both humidors too


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## Boston_Dude05 (Oct 10, 2006)

Welcome. A good forum to post this is in the Questions--Accessories place. There are also a good number of threads addressing it. To summarize: 1) calibrate your hygro 2) condition your humi properly 3) test for leaks 4) make sure humidification source is good (buy beads from Viper for example) 5) search these threads for other tips


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## c-poc (Sep 1, 2006)

Did you "season" it properly?  I put a 2 oz bowl of distilled in the humi and close the lid for 10 days without opening it at all. Then place stogies in humi and let them sit a while.. It is hard to keep an empty humi up to proper RH. Once it get more full it is easier to maintain that RH


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## mosesbotbol (Sep 21, 2005)

What do you mean a leak? Is there a puddle somewhere? Is the wood stained?

If the water is disappearing from the humidifying element and the cigars have a spring to them and smoke fine; don't worry about what the hydrometer says.


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## alfred (Mar 27, 2006)

I did season it correctly, 
rubbed it down with distilled water
let a shot glass sit for i think it was 2 days
added 50/50 solution and distilled water to humidifie brick
added solution mix every month or so 
it held at 68-70 for well over several months and then just dropped to 60 and no matter what i do it will no rise above that i have tried to recondition it and it still will not rise above that (i have used several hygrometers)

someone just suggested I should use aquarium silicone and seal the glass again


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## mosesbotbol (Sep 21, 2005)

alfred said:


> someone just suggested I should use aquarium silicone and seal the glass again


I would put a Diamond Crown humidity element in; I had good luck with them when I was using a desktop Humidor. They let out a lot of water, so it will get it humid no doubt.

Ultimately, all that matters is how the cigars smoke, right? What is the state of the cigars in the humidor. What not play around with trying to get it more humid, you'll invite mold, possibly get water droplets on the cigars, or just have awful smoking cigars.

Fixing the glass with sealant I would stay away from. Unless the cigars are bone dry, I would just live with it. One thing you can do is use auto wax on the outside of the humidor to seal the outside. I had good results with this, and it keeps it looking nice.


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## smokepiper (Jan 16, 2006)

Al:
I too have some issues with humidity. Mine is around 60-65 (was 70). It even dropped to around 50. My ambient conditions changed from summer/fall to winter. Colder temperatures and less ambient humidity due to the furnace robbed my humidor of moisture. Perhaps this could be the culperate for the sudden change. 

I would imagine FDA or NSF approved RTV silicone would work if you think its a leakage issue. I would rather doubt that is the case. :2 

Hope your problem is rectified soon. 

P.S. welcome to CS

D


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## discdog (Jun 23, 2006)

Welcome Alfred. 
I wouldn't put silicone of any kind into a humidor, the odors that it will impart will ruin it and any cigars that you may have in it. 
Besides, how do you know where to apply it. Can you see a crack? Have you completed the light test yet? What is the room temp. vs humi temp?


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## alfred (Mar 27, 2006)

i can't do a light test it is a glass top humidor. i was thinking about using the silicone along the outer part where the glass makes contact with the humidor a small bead along the outside

a pic of the humidor i have is posted in the first comment


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## alfred (Mar 27, 2006)

mosesbotbol said:


> I would put a Diamond Crown humidity element in; I had good luck with them when I was using a desktop Humidor. They let out a lot of water, so it will get it humid no doubt.
> 
> Ultimately, all that matters is how the cigars smoke, right? What is the state of the cigars in the humidor. What not play around with trying to get it more humid, you'll invite mold, possibly get water droplets on the cigars, or just have awful smoking cigars.
> 
> Fixing the glass with sealant I would stay away from. Unless the cigars are bone dry, I would just live with it. One thing you can do is use auto wax on the outside of the humidor to seal the outside. I had good results with this, and it keeps it looking nice.


hhmm i never thought about auto wax on the outside with that I could make sure it was sealed.... i am concerned because the cigars although smoke ok are not providing that spring that i like when the humidor holds at 70% they are starting to get stiff and so i have temporarliy placed them in plastic bags with the humidifier inside the humidor
i actually put my more expensive ones into a small travel one that always stays at 70%


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## RGD (May 10, 2006)

alfred said:


> someone just suggested I should use aquarium silicone and seal the glass again


No I wouldn't do that. First off - can you move the glass? If you can't move the glass then you don't need to fix it. If you can move the glass use good latex/silicone exterior grade clear caulk. Dries and cleans up faster.

If you don't need to fix the glass then look at the hinges - make sure they are tight and no gaps across the back. Then use a solid wax such as sail-makers, beeswax, etc and put a thin coating on the outside edge of the lip (where the lid meets the box).

Question though - where is the humidor located? What's your temp? Could very well be that it's cold so it's showing the lower RH. Move it to a warmer location. Maybe switch to a different humidification unit such as The Puck or Vipers Beads -(both sold by members here on CS) as they will actively try to keep your RH at 65 or 70.

Good luck with it.

Ron


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2007)

discdog said:


> Welcome Alfred.
> I wouldn't put silicone of any kind into a humidor, the odors that it will impart will ruin it and any cigars that you may have in it.


:tpd:

A possible sealer with little odor, and clear dry would be to apply a thin bead of wood glue around the glass. If you do this on the exterior, you will probably only need to let the glue dry, and then be good to go. But this leaves you open to visibility possibilities of gluing errors. Alternatively, you could glue on the inside and leave the humi open for a couple of days, and should be ok. Most standard wood glues have little odor, and dry quickly on small applications. I assume you must suspect that the glass seals are poor, and this is the source of the humidity leak. It appears you are confident of you readings/instruments and your prep of the humi, and have surmised a leak must exist. Apart from the glass edges being the culprit, the only other source would be the lid/box seat area. This can be sealed with rubber foam type strips, but looks like crap. A possible alternative would be to apply a thin layer of melted (un-scented) wax to the seat edges. Mainly would melt wax onto edge, let dry, then scrape off excess to even out contact points. A micro-layer would probably do the trick, and NOT be readily visible, except that the seat edges would appear shiny?

It may be that you are never able to get the humi to hold the humidity you desire. Those humis do exist, and might be worth more effort than benefit. Give a few non-odorous solutions a try before you chunk it as "un-fixable"

Oh, yeah, don't sweat the "Search Nazis", there are many members here than do not mind answering a question from time to time.


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## alfred (Mar 27, 2006)

thanks, ya i know about the search guys some in every forum 
i am a pc geek so i answer ?'s at some other forums and usually that's the first reply to a question.....HAHA

do you think melting the wax on the outside would also seal the glass??? I am positive it is either a leak or just to much glass, i move it into the hallway closet just to keep it in a cool dry place, my house is old and when it was in the living room the temperature change between day and nite was to much (i think)

maybe i should have just got a "no glass" humidor......


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2007)

alfred said:


> thanks, ya i know about the search guys some in every forum
> i am a pc geek so i answer ?'s at some other forums and usually that's the first reply to a question.....HAHA
> 
> do you think melting the wax on the outside would also seal the glass??? I am positive it is either a leak or just to much glass, i move it into the hallway closet just to keep it in a cool dry place, my house is old and when it was in the living room the temperature change between day and nite was to much (i think)
> ...


Melting wax on the outside, as in the glass seal? or the whole humi??

I would not really worry about the exterior wood of the humi. It IS NOT the source of humidity leakage. By the time humidity leaked thru the wood itself, the wood would have to be soaked and rotting!!:r

You could melt wax around the glass, but that would be a royal pain in the arse to accomplish!! Nice bottle of glue (even plain old Elmer's glue would work), with an applicator tip, you can apply neatly and quickly, and odor goes away rapidly, about as soon as it is dry.


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## smokepiper (Jan 16, 2006)

alfred said:


> i move it into the hallway closet just to keep it in a cool dry place......


I think this is part of the problem. The cool, dry place may not be the best area. Cool air retains less moisture than warm air. I would really doubt the seal problem. Perhaps the wax solution would be effective, but I think its the temp.

Try warming it up a bit.


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2007)

Not the glass itself, humidity will not go thru it anymore than thru the wood. I have two of these: http://www.thompsoncigar.com/defaul...e=product&sender=rightside&qtype=best&uid=448

they have full glass (actually plexiglass, I think) fronts, and I have no trouble maintaining these at 65% (my desired optimal rh). The glass actually will move very slightly, but that doesn't seem to be a problem. I use mainly 65% beads, with the two factory foam boxes housing the beads, and one or two extra bead sticks, depending on how full the humis are from time to time.

Moral of the story, glass does not have to be a humidity leaker. Unless your glass is really loose, I would look at the seam around the lid/box, with probably the hinges as suggested as the main focus point. But, if the glass worries you, sealing it WILL NOT hurt anything, and it is always a plus to feel positive about your humi, so go for it!


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## Old Sailor (Jul 27, 2006)

Got one just like it, had to put a bead of clear silicone around the outside of the hygrometer....that's where mine leaked.....fine ever since.


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## LasVegasGuy (Oct 13, 2006)

Remember that colder weather is actually very drying and knocks humidity down. Even out here in Las Vegas, in the high desert it is much colder in the winter and our humidors RH drops accordingly. In fact this weekend the highs in Las Vegas are forecast to be in the 40's with the lows in the high teens to low 20's.

All I do is add some additional passive devices like small jars of gel or pg solution which give a nice boost to humidity in the humidors. When the weather starts to warm up we take the extra devices out and all is well. Try that before you start messing with the glass top with sealer. Glass is not a very good retainer of humidity and when you have a humidor with glass you have to work harder to maintain RH especially in the winter.

Hope this helps!


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## ikwanjin (Dec 28, 2006)

I live near Alfred, 
in West Covina,

and I must admit..
It has gotten pretty cold down here the last weekend.

My humidity in my humidor dropped a little too but when I brought the humi temp to around 70 degrees - the Rh was back to normal.



Hope this helps.


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